The Crab Lab, a new food truck with plenty of crab-based dishes and an unbeatable lunch deal

Anna Walsh

Anna Walsh

Anna WalshCity Paper

A new food truck, The Crab Lab, began parking at the corner of Monument and North Calvert streets a few weeks ago. A co-worker visited it for lunch and raved about the four-cheese grilled cheese ($3), which contained pepperjack, American, Swiss, and provolone. For an extra $2 you could add crab dip to the sandwich, which he did, and told us it blended nicely with all the cheeses and had a lot of flavor, and made for a pretty unbeatable lunch deal. We decided to check out the truck ourselves the following Friday, when The Crab Lab parked near CP HQ. The truck offers plenty of crab-based dishes, obviously, but it also has crustacean-free options such as a black Angus burger and a chicken salad wrap. We stuck with the crab options, though, and ordered a crab cake quesadilla ($11). As we waited, we talked to the truck workers, who said the truck had only been operating since the beginning of January and that they were working on opening a carry-out window in Towson.

The quesadilla was perfectly grilled, and although we had assumed the quesadilla would be mostly filler, we were pleasantly surprised to find it bursting with good-quality lump crab meat. The sriracha mayo that came on the side made for a perfect complement, providing a good kick without overwhelming the flavors in the quesadilla. The lunch came, unexpectedly, with a side of barbecue chips, which we handed off to a co-worker—while we appreciated the fact that chips were included, having options to choose from would have been nice.

We had a few quibbles with the presentation. The quesadilla was accompanied by a pickle and a scant handful of greens that we assumed were meant for presentation only, which seemed like an odd choice for a food truck. And there was no lid on the small plastic cup that held the sriracha mayo, so by the time we finished the wind-ravaged walk back to our office and unpacked the plastic bag holding the takeout container, the mayo had, unsurprisingly, spilled. But these are minor logistical details that don’t detract from the quality of the food at Baltimore’s newest food truck.